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Anne Neville
Anne Neville was the younger child of Richard Neville (also known as "The Kingmaker") and therefore an heiress to the Earldoms of Warwick and Salisbury. By her marriage to Richard of Gloucester she became Duchess of Gloucester and later Queen Consort of England after she and Richard were crowned. She is played by Faye Marsay. Historical Backround Lady Anne was born at Warwick Castle, the younger daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick and Anne de Beauchamp. Her father was the most powerful nobleman in England, and the most important supporter of the House of York. Her grandfather's sister, Cecily, Duchess of York, was the wife of Richard Duke of York, who first claimed the crown for York and started the war. Much of Anne's childhood was spent at Middleham Castle, one of her father's properties, where she and her elder sister, Isabelle, met the Duke's two younger sons, Richard (the future king) and George Plantagenet (the future Duke of Clarence). The Duke of York was killed in 1460, but with Warwick's help, his eldest son became King Edward IV in 1461. In 1469, Isabella married George, and in 1470, Anne was betrothed and married to Edward of Westminster, the Lancastrian heir to the throne of England. Warwick was already at odds with Edward IV. In 1470, he allied himself with the ousted House of Lancaster. With King Henry VI suffering from dementia, the de facto Lancastrian leader was his consort, Margaret of Anjou, who was suspicious of Warwick's motives. To quell these suspicions, Anne was formally betrothed to Henry and Margaret's son, Edward of Westminster making her the Princess of Wales. Warwick had restored King Henry to the throne in October 1470, however on Edward IV's return to the country in March 1471 he quickly secured London and the person of King Henry. The mentally troubled Henry was taken by Edward as a prisoner to the Battle of Barnet where Warwick was killed. Edward then incarcerated Henry in the Tower of London and following his victory at Tewkesbury on the 4th of May Henry was reported to have died of "pure displeasure and melancholy" although "The Great Chronicle of London" reported that Richard of Gloucester was responsible. Margaret had returned to England with Anne and Prince Edward in April, bringing additional troops. At the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471, King Edward crushed this last Lancastrian army. Prince Edward was killed in or shortly after the battle and Anne was taken prisoner. She was taken first to Coventry and then to the Duke of Clarence's house in London. She became the subject of some dispute between Clarence and Richard, who still wanted to marry her. Anne and her sister, Isabel, Clarence's wife, were heiresses to their parents' vast estates. Clarence, anxious to secure the whole inheritance, treated her as his ward and opposed her getting married, which would strengthen her position to claim a share. King Edward refused her safe conduct to plead her case and she wrote to Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth of York and several others to no avail. There are various accounts of what happened subsequently, including the story that she escaped from Clarence's custody and sought refuge in a London cookshop, disguised as a servant. Richard is said to have tracked her down and escorted her to sanctuary at the Church of St Martin le Grand. The wedding of Anne Neville and Richard took place on 12 July 1472, at Westminster Abbey, and they made their marital home in the familiar surroundings of Middleham Castle, Richard having been appointed Governor of the North on the king's behalf. Upon her marriage, she was styled Duchess of Gloucester. They had only one child, born at Middleham in around 1473. On 9 April 1483, Edward IV died. Richard was named Lord Protector for his 12-year-old nephew Edward V. However, on 25 June 1483, Edward and his siblings were declared illegitimate, and Richard ascended the throne as King Richard III. Anne was crowned on 6 July 1483 by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, and her son was created Prince of Wales. She was accompanied by less than half the knights that her predecessor had, which might have reflected the reluctance of many to embrace the new regime. She was on good terms with her mother-in-law, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, with whom she discussed religious works. Edward of Middleham died suddenly on 9 April 1484 while his parents were absent. He was 10 years old. After the death of his son and heir, rumours arose that Richard planned to divorce Anne and marry his niece, Elizabeth of York. There is little evidence for this, however, and none at all for the later rumour that he had poisoned Anne. After the death of her son, Anne effectively adopted Edward, Earl of Warwick, the nine-year-old son of George of Clarence and her sister Isabel, who were both dead. The boy was thus nephew of both Richard and Anne. Richard made the boy his heir presumptive, probably in deference to Anne's wishes. Anne died on 16 March 1485, probably of tuberculosis, at Westminster. The day she died, there was an eclipse, which some took to be an omen of Richard's fall from heavenly grace. She was buried in Westminster Abbey, in an unmarked grave. Richard is said to have wept at her funeral. Nevertheless, rumours circulated that Richard had poisoned her in order to marry his niece Elizabeth of York. In the Series Anne is introduced as the younger daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. She and her sister Isabelle hope to make royal marriages- Isabelle to George of Clarence and Anne to her crush Richard of Gloucester. At Elizabeth Woodville's coronation, Anne naively describes her as beautiful, only to be reminded by Isabelle that Elizabeth and her father are enemies. In Episode Two, Anne is informed by her mother that she and Isabelle will most likely be married to the King's brothers George and Richard as a reward for Warwick's capture of King Henry VI; Anne is delighted with the prospect that she will marry Richard. However, she is later disappointed to learn that the marriage will not take place. Personality Anne begins the series as a rather naive young woman (not entirely unlike her sister Isabelle) especially in regards to marriage. In her younger years, at least, she is not very good at keeping her mouth shut, and blurts things out when it is not prudent to do so; Isabelle often has to shut her up. Her naivete largely disappears after she is married to Edward, the Lancastrian Prince of Wales (whom she had been brought up to consider a monster) who rapes her on their wedding night. From then on, Anne is characterized by a well-concealed but steely determination not to bend to her enemy's will, as demonstrated by her refusal to be bullied by Margaret of Anjou, her resistance to Yorkist soldiers attempting to assault her, and her outwitting of George of Clarence when she is placed under his "guardianship". Her shrewdness and iron will are noted and admired by her former crush Richard of Gloucester, who describes her as "her father's daughter"; indeed, Anne is often referred to (including by herself) as "The Kingmaker's daughter". Anne's determination later re-emerges on the death of Edward IV, when Richard (now Anne's husband) is made Lord Protector for his nephew, Edward V. Initially simply agreeing with other nobles that they must keep Elizabeth Woodville away from so that she will not influence him against them and create a new rift in England, she later convinces him to have Parliament declare Elizabeth and Edward IV's marriage unlawful, which would leave Richard as the only candidate for the throne. In this, she plays exactly the same role as her father had for Edward IV: placing her own candidate on the throne with the intent of both pacifying unrest in the face of a young and uncertain King, and securing her own family (Richard and her son) from potential reprisals from the Woodvilles. However, Anne has finally achieved what her father never could; she has placed her family within the Royal line. Her determination and shrewdness continue into her reign as Queen; she is able to influence Richard's decisions heavily, though she is increasingly distracted by her paranoia of Elizabeth's witchcraft and her remorse over the fates of the Princes in the Tower. Anne faces a new onset of suffering when her beloved son Edward dies of illness (leaving her and Richard without an heir) her husband begins flirting with his niece Princess Elizabeth, and her own health begins to fail. Even under such circumstances, however, her mind remains as sharp as ever, shown when she (correctly) shows suspicion of Lord Stanley's loyalties and reminds Richard that he owes most of his support in the North to his marriage to her. Mercifully, Anne's suffering is ended when she dies not long after her son's death, not living long enough to see Richard's final downfall at Bosworth Field. Anne is extremely loyal to her family (with the temporary exception of her mother), particularly her sister Isabelle. The two girls grew up very closely and often compared their future prospects; although Isabelle is sometimes cold towards her, Anne is unfailingly kind to her elder sister, who was often upset by the result of their father's plots. When Isabelle died of childbed fever (though she believed Elizabeth Woodville cursed her) Anne was unable to arrive in time to say goodbye, much to her grief. As for their father, while Anne did not initially understand the purpose of Warwick's rebellions against King Edward, she remains loyal to him even when he betroths her to Edward of Westminster, hoping to make her father proud and fulfill his wish of the Nevilles entering the Royal Line. Warwick is never shown to be a particularly affectionate parent, but he gives Anne good political advice and seemed closer to her than to Isabelle or his wife; Anne clearly loves her father, as she shows intense grief when she learns of his death. She also showed great concern for her sister's children; after Isabelle's death, she takes her niece and nephew in and raises them alongside her son. Her relationship with Richard Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) comes out of politics but Anne was already very attracted to Richard long before their marriage became a serious possibility; she appreciates his willingness to talk to her as an equal and his unfailing kindness towards her. They fall in love over the course of her captivity under her sister and George, and Richard convinces her to escape by marrying him; although Anne realizes he will inherit half of the Neville fortune as a result, she will become Duchess of Goucester as a result, and Richard will prove a kind and loving husband. They then enjoyed ten years of happy marriage, strengthened by the birth of their son Edward. Anne played a key role in convincing Richard to declare himself King over his nephew, in order to prevent Elizabeth from dividing the Court and potentially branding her, Richard and their son as traitors. However, her relationship with her husband becomes strained midway through their three-year reign, largely as a result of the disappearance (and presumed deaths) of the Princes in the Tower, which Anne secretly believes she may have caused; despite her ruthless streak, Anne is reluctant to harm innocent children and feels deep remorse that she might have unintentionally ordered the deaths of the boys. She becomes further estranged and hurt by Richard's increasing attraction to his niece Elizabeth of York, and is grief-stricken when her son Prince Edward dies at only ten years old. Believing she will not conceive further children (possibly due to Elizabeth Woodville's witchcraft) she is increasingly convinced that Richard intends to cast her aside and marry Elizabeth. Richard denies this, claiming his pursuit of Elizabeth is a sham designed to prevent his courtiers from thinking she will marry his rival Henry Tudor, but Anne remains unconvinced as her health begins to fail. With the knowledge that neither she nor Richard played a part in the murder of the boys in the Tower, Anne dies peacefully, believing she will soon be reunited with her sister and son. A grief- stricken Richard soon follows, with his death and final defeat at Bosworth Field. Although Richard was referred to repeatedly by the Woodvilles and his other enemies as having no support when he took the throne, in fact a significant part of England did support him, mostly thanks to his marriage to Anne; the Kingmaker had not only been extremely wealthy and powerful, he had also been very popular among the nobility, and his supporters mainly turned to Anne after his death- and, by extension, to Richard. Category:Characters Category:House of York Category:Neville family members Category:Yorkists Category:Lancastrians Category:Queens Category:Deceased